Exercise motivations of law enforcement officers in Northeast Louisiana

Abstract

Previous research indicates that law enforcement officers did not uphold optimal physical fitness. This study aimed to examine exercise motivations of incumbent officers. The EMI-2 was used to collect data. Kruskal–Wallis H tests and post-hoc Mann–Whitney U tests with Bonferroni-corrected p values were used to analyze the data. As a group, the officers were motivated to exercise for the positive health benefits. The results also indicated that building up strength/endurance and competition had influential impacts on their motivation to exercise. Police agencies may take these elements into consideration when planning and implementing a physical training program for the incumbent officers.